Cleveland Police needs to improve how it protects children at risk
Cleveland Police needs to urgently improve its response to children who are missing, and how it investigates online child sexual exploitation, the police inspectorate has said.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) graded Cleveland Police’s performance across five areas, assessing how well it safeguards children who are at risk. It found the force was ‘adequate’ in one area, ‘requires improvement’ in two areas and ‘inadequate’ in two areas.
HMICFRS said that the force invests in partnerships, working well with local and national partner organisations on safeguarding arrangements for children. Inspectors said that there are third-sector workers working in different teams across the force, directly supporting child and adult victims of abuse.
However, inspectors identified two causes of concern regarding the force’s performance. First, the inspectorate said that the force does not consistently recognise the risks posed to missing children and does not respond to them effectively.
It also needs to improve how it investigates cases involving children being sexually exploited online. This includes how it assesses wider risks posed by offenders, and how it provides support to children and families.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer said: “Cleveland Police has worked hard over the years to improve how it safeguards vulnerable children and families. I commend officers and staff for their dedication and steadfastness in a demanding environment, but the force needs to do more to achieve consistently good outcomes.
“The force doesn’t have enough trained officers and staff to investigate reports of child abuse, neglect and exploitation. Also, although the force has worked hard to train its officers and staff, this training doesn’t always result in improving outcomes for children.
“Chief officers and senior leaders understand their statutory responsibilities to safeguard children and invest in partnership working. But it must effectively share relevant information with its safeguarding partners and improve how it assesses and responds to children at risk of, or harmed by, online exploitation.
“I will closely monitor progress within Cleveland Police over the coming months.”